Fight to the Death at The Bear

In its early life The Bear in Chapel Street was known as a "Tom and Jerry shop" or small-scale beer shop. Its landlords always had another job to run along side the beer selling, usually shoe making, a traditional pairing in Marlow and elsewhere. And on top of that a few lodgers were squeezed in too, until The Bear became just as known as a "common lodging house" as a beer seller. It led a quiet life for much of its existence, but in the 1870s that would all change in shocking circumstances. 

In the late 1860s the premises was taken over by the very experienced couple of Charles and Charlotte Hoare, formerly of the Travellers Friend, Dean Street and The Three Horseshoes, Gun Lane (Trinity Road) Charles died shortly afterwards, but the capable Charlotte continued. 

At the time of the 1871 census Charlotte had 9 male lodgers aged between 34 and 67 plus one female one with two children. It's clear from the complaints made about common lodging houses, that the sharing of rooms, and sometimes beds was normal. It would be inevitable in a premises the size of Charlotte's. But to those needing affordable lodgings they were a lifeline.  She managed to attract a number of longer term lodgers which must suggest they were happy with her accomodation  - there was plenty of rivals within Marlow, chiefly in Dean Street. (David Banks mentioned below had been with her 8 years for example)

A little minor trouble affected the Bear in 1872 when the vigilant P C Parsons heard some sounds coming from within at 11.15pm, after last orders should gave been called. He tried the door to the taproom which was unbolted. Within were 4 of Charlotte's lodgers plus a female visitor with an incriminating "cup of beer" on the table next to them. Charlotte was hauled before the magistrates to explain her apparent selling of alcohol after hours. The constable made something of the fact that the other woman present was a Mrs Brewer who was, according to him, a known prostitute. Charlotte was indignant. She said Mrs Brewer was a married mother of two, quite respectable and what's more had merely called in on the subject of some washing she was doing for Charlotte. Perhaps the constable thought it a little late to be making such a errand. No charge was made in relation to harbouring prostitutes in any case. It was the fact a non lodger was on the premises, seemingly drinking alcohol that was the problem. But Charlotte wasn't pleased with that accusation either. She said she had been selling alcohol for 30 years and never had a single complaint been made against her before. She had just lost track of time she said, blaming the fact it was hay making season, and she so had been especially busy (many of her lodgers were agricultural labourer, full time or seasonal). She bought forward one of her neighbours, coal merchant Mr Brown, to speak up for how quiet the Bear usually was and even Inspector Breene agreed it was a well conducted beer house. So she was let off any fine with a mild finger wagging and a reminder to keep a closer eye on the clock in future. 

Two years later things were very different. Quiet as the Bear may seemingly have been, it was a premises where a lodger might pass out drunk on the floor and be left to come to in their own time. This was to have a tragic consequence. 

Two lodgers, George "Topper" Frewin(g) and George Blewitt, had fallen out. Frewing had borrowed tuppence from Blewitt, and the latter thought its return was over due. So late one evening in the tap room, he asked for it back. Frewin didn't have it, Blewitt wasn't happy and drunkenly suggested he would go and fetch a policeman. Frewin told him to do just that, it would do no good, at which Blewitt lost his temper altogether. He hit the seated Frewin, and a tussle ensued. Frewin was knocked to the floor (possibly hitting a fire place) and on attempting to get up, was kicked back down by Blewitt. He was by this time unconscious with a bloodied face. The reaction of those present, (Charlotte Hoare, two other lodgers, a young couple and the 8 year grandson of Charlotte, Charles Neighbour) suggest such an encounter was not unusual in the tap room. For no one did anything at all for the injured man for half an hour. A female customer coming inside, not known to those present, was concerned at his state and asked Charlotte for a basin of water to wash the blood away from the face of Frewin. She then thought she had made him fairly comfortable. A little later Charlotte shut up and left Frewin lying where he was. The answer everyone gave was they did not think he was really hurt, more drunk than anything, and because he very often slept things off lying on the tap room floor, they thought he may as well stay there. Time and time again the lack of understanding of potential head injuries or the dangers of concussion comes out in similar Marlow tales. 

Lodger David Maxwell Banks, aged about 38, came downstairs at 4am for a glass of water (or so he said later). He heard moans coming from the tap room but was surprised to find Frewin where he had been left. He told him to get up "my dear fellow" and try and get to bed. Poor Frewin could not answer and so..Banks went back to bed himself. Eventually another guest came down and Charlotte was fetched. She now suspected something was wrong and called a doctor but it was too late. Topper died, aged in his early 40's. 

Blewitt was  supposed to be aged 30 and at the time was working as a general labourer. He plead guilty to "feloniously killing or slaying" Frewin. His punishment was 6 months in gaol. In 1875, as a resident of the Wycombe Union workhouse in Saunderton, he was accused of a savage assault upon another resident. This earned him another trip to the assizes and a 14 day prison sentence. 

Frewin was the son of Joseph and Amey of Chapel Street. As a younger man he had lived with his widowed 66 year old mother in the Oxford Lane Almshouses. Later Amy would lodge with the Allum family, also in Oxford Lane at which time she was described as a lacemaker. 

Charlotte Hoare gave up the licence of the Bear later that year. She herself died rather young  - you can read more on that and see her grave here

 Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

RELATED POSTS:

Life of Charles and Charlotte Hoare at the Three Horseshoes here

Bear landlady Catherine Neighbour nee Sparkes here

List of landlords of The Bear, Black Horse etc here

Link to the Pub Post Index here

Post about Charlotte's son in law Alfred Neighbour, an innkeeper here

More beer sellers than bakers - temperance in Marlow here

Everyday life in old Great Marlow post index including crime related content - here

To find every mention of an individual or family here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. (4,000 names and counting) 

Sources include:

Kelly's Directory Bucks 1847 

Parish Assessment 1833, original notebooks in our possession. 

Duttons Directory 1863. 

Reading Mercury 25 July 1874 ,British Library Archive 

Bucks Advertiser 25 July 1874, 7th January 1878 as above 

Northants Mercury 25 July 1874, as above. 

Bucks Herald 18 July 1874 - thanks to Jane Pullinger for view of this. 

1841,51,61,71,81,  - transcript from microfilm made by Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day. 

© MarlowAncestors

Lady Of The Riverside - Catherine Sparkes/Neighbour

  Catherine Spark(e)s was a women who must have wondered whether it wasn't the River Thames running through her veins in place of blood, so strong was her connection to it. Born in 1814 to Thomas and Ann, Catherine's family were involved in the barging business. Uncle William Sparkes was the landlord of the Black Boy inn at Church Passage, although as a bargemaster himself, he was frequently a long time away from home. As was often the case in reality, the everyday business of keeping the place running was down to Catherine's aunt. By the time Catherine was a teenager she was living in the Causeway, very close to the river. Nearby was the Swan Inn, run by another bargemen, George Cresswell. The property leased by young Catherine's family was a fairly valuable one, valued at a higher amount than the Swan, and significantly more than any of the cottages in the streets adjacent. Thomas and Ann were clearly doing well for themselves at this time. 

A few years later, Catherine's parents took over the Barge Pole Inn.  The adjacent Black Boy was also in the Sparkes family for many years. (See the link below for more information on these other family members and landlord listings for all those licensed premises). This was close to the river and associated with bargeman drinking and lodging there, although a close study of records shows the clientele was actually quite mixed. Although those connected to the barge trade had a tough reputation, there are fewer incidents of trouble recorded for the Barge Pole than at other inns not so associated with the trade. It is likely that many of the people the young Catherine associated with were involved with river trades in one form or another. She almost certainly followed the path of most innkeepers daughters and helped her parents run the premises. She also followed that well worn path of growing up to marry someone who was involved in the alcohol trade.

Her spouse was Henry Neighbour whom she married in 1837. I believe they had began to run the waterside Waterman's Arms (aka The Waterman) by 1841. The Neighbour family may well have been there longer. Right on the river front, at a location sometimes known as Limbrooke Wharf, The Waterman was just a few minutes walk from the other Sparks family premises. You could say they had the river side trade quite sewn up! It was a smaller affair, and does not seem to have taken lodgers, at least on a regular basis. Catherine was again most likely to be the one to be found within dealing with the customers, despite Henry's name on the licence. Henry had another job, which he would continue in for decades, that of a cordwainer. Beer or ale retailers who followed one occupation only were very much in the minority in Marlow at this time, and the most common "other" trade to follow was  that of a cordwainer or shoemaker. How the worker gets described depends on the context, often only the most relevant one to the circumstances gets mentioned or just the one that generates the most income. While some "side" businesses were minor in scale, Henry employed assistants. In 1851, a pair of shoes was stolen from him by one of his employees, John Wicks. Perhaps Catherine attended the court session that saw the guilty John sentenced to 4 months hard labour. It was a punishment that took into account the fact John was considered to have committed a particularly serious theft as it was from his employer. The Neighbours  clearly forgave John as he continued to be involved with the family.  John was subsequently convicted of another theft, and with that being his 3rd conviction he was sentenced to 7 years transportation. He was 23. (1852). The last item stolen was a saw taken from Joseph East and taken to Henry and Catherine. They say Wicks claimed it as his own and that he was short of money and so they lent him 6d with the saw as security. 

In 1854 Catherine and Henry moved premises, to The Bear in Chapel Street. It must have felt strange to be living out of ear shot of the river at last, although it was just a few minutes walk away. The Bear was a fairly small concern as regards the selling of alcohol but it also acted as a common lodging house. The Bears lodgers tended to single men working as general or agricultural labourers.   Records of trouble on the actual premises itself were virtually absent. A fight to the death in the tap room lay in the future and occured under another proprietor. (Details will follow in another post!) It's fair to say The Bear was not the most luxurious place to stay in Marlow but it was quite peaceful relatively speaking during the time  Catherine and Henry were in charge. The number of lodgers increased afterwards and some of those staying there became associated with petty crime.  There was one incident that did see the couple appear in court as a witness however. 

In 1855 John Simson of Marlow had been in the Bear drinking heavily. Some of the drinkers had (while fairly inebriated themselves) decided to play a practical joke on John and blacken his face with soot. He was apparently in no state to resist and they then attempted to paint his face with tar, but Catherine intervened and took the tar away. Catherine herself would later deny ever even seeing the tar however. Things took a more serious turn when John then went missing and some of those in the Bear on the last night he was seen alive were found to be in possession of his coat, a handkerchief and an umbrella. Three weeks later John's body was found in the river near Marlow Mills. Further investigation did however reveal that John had been seen alive by several people the morning following his Bear drinking session, when he was unsuccessfully enquiring for work in the fields. It was also revealed that he was subject to epileptic seizures, especially when he'd been drinking heavily, and there were no marks of violence on his person. Those who'd been found in possession of John's coat etc said they given him money for them on the understanding he could buy them back at the same price in a few days. A sort of unofficial pawnbroking service. Henry Neighbour was the one who'd had the umbrella and a handkerchief from John but he said he'd been drinking through the two days before as it was Marlow Fair and he couldn't recall that much about it all. This caused Henry to be censured heavily by the JP who also felt both he and Catherine had prevaricated in their evidence. They were told they were lucky not to be pursued on a charge of perjury. Henry was obviously not in much of a state to police his taproom, and Catherine seems to have been busy elsewhere in the premises during the sooting. No doubt she subsequently wished to play down the raucous behaviour on the premises rather than admit she had  harboured a group of badly behaved drunks. 

Henry and Catherine remained at The Bear until at least 1863. Henry had continued to work as a cordwainer after his move here. There is a possibility they moved back to the Church Passage area (or nearby) the following year, with the couple retailing beer from an unknown premises but this requires more investigation. (To rule out other members of the Neighbour family, a number of whom had similar roles). What is sadly certain is that Catherine died when she was only 55 years old. Henry had a long widowhood. By the time of the 1881 census the 67 year old was an inmate in the Union Workhouse at Saunderton. When the census enumerator came by 10 years later, Henry was still there. Despite working at two occupations, the poor man could not support himself in his old age. 

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts:

The Sparkes Family of The Bargepole etc here

Fight to death at The Bear here

List of landlords of the Black Boy/Waterman's/ Bargepole here

A tribute to our bargemen here

All mentions of a family or individual can be found in the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. (4,000 + names and counting)

Index for other inn/beer seller etc  related posts: here

100+ Marlow Pubs/Ale Houses/Inns etc list here

General posts about everyday life in Catherine's Marlow here

 

Sources:

Parish Assessment 1833, original notebooks belonging to our family. 

Census 1841,51,61,71,81 - transcripts from microfilm made by Charlotte Day and Jane Pullinger. 

Slaters Commercial Directory 1852 

Dutton, Allen & Co Directory 1863. 

Robson's Directory 1839

Bucks Herald 05 July 1851.

Windsor and Eton Express 1 December 1855, Slough Borough Libraries. 

Petty Session records transcript by Nick & Jane Pullinger -1987, with thanks. 

© MarlowAncestors.

The Spittal Street Poltergeist??? Allam / Hoare Family

 

Allam grave in All Saints Parish Church. 

Alfred Allam died October 26th 1888 age 51 years

Also Sarah Tilleard Allam

Also Charlotte Hoare,  died  - 17th ? 1890

Also Charles Frederick Allam died Jan 29 1940 age 7(2?) years.

Research notes:

Alfred Allam in true Victorian shopkeeper fashion managed to be a fishmonger, fruiterer, potato merchant, hirer of pony and traps, minor farmer and gravel seller all at once with premises on Spittal Street plus a field at Hillside. Census entries suggest he was born Wooburn or Wooburn Green. Alfred's father Francis had also been a fishmonger. Although the business was left to Alfred's mother, she agreed to give it up to him subject to his paying her an allowance. He fell out with older brother Absalom about this arrangement, and other business dealings. Alfred in 1863 sued his brother for withholding money earned by him for selling fish on Alfred's behalf. Absalom said he'd done so because Alfred was keeping a watch that belonged to him and also had withheld goods due to him under his father's will. 

In 1876 Alfred was prosecuted for renting out a windowless wooden hovel not fit for human habitation to the large Moody family.  This wasn't his only brush with the law. Both he and his son Alfred junior seem very ready to get into fights with others.

At one point some thought the family had got on the wrong side of a far more unusual foe than your standard Marlovian- an "evil spirit". 

The back windows of the family premises were repeatedly broken by "unseen hands". At one point breakages were occurring every few minutes. Constables and neighbours were baffled and the household frightened for several weeks until it all suddenly stopped. This was an age of intense interest in Spiritualism and inevitably some people insisted only a spirit could be responsible for the broken windows. Myself I think someone Alfred had had a dust up with was likely having a little fun at his expense.

To read about an incidence of Alfred getting into a legal dispute with a flesh and blood Marlow family see here.

The Sarah on the grave above was Alfred's wife who ran the fishmonger's shop after his death for some years. She was assisted by her sons Alfred and Charles Frederick the latter of whom is also on the gravestone. Alfred would eventually take over the business from his mother. Sarah was born Sarah Tilleard Hoare in 1840 to Charles and Charlotte Hoare.

Charlotte Hoare on this gravestone was her mother. She was born circa 1815 according to census but we believe that she was baptised in Marlow 1814 nee Tilleard, to parents William and Elizabeth. She ran the Three Horseshoes Gun Lane, The Traveler's Rest Dean Street and The Bear, Chapel Street with husband Charles who predeceased her. He owned gravel pits in Marlow which probably explains Alfred Allam's gravel sideline.

Poor Charlotte's death came from shock after she fell over in her yard and fractured her hip [Reading Mercury 30th August 1890 and Buckinghamshire Examiner 28th August 1890. Copies held at British Library. Accessed via the BNA ]. She lived with her widowed daughter Sarah Tilleard Allam at the time and Sarah gave evidence at the inquest. Reports of this inquest tell us that though she is memorialised in All Saints graveyard she was a worshipper at the Wesleyan Chapel at the time of her death. The alarm that she had fallen was raised by close neighbour Emma Carter the butcher who heard Charlotte scream.

Charlotte's death report in the paper called her a much respected woman of the town. [To read about dramatic events at The Bear just before Charlotte gave it up, see the post Here]

To read a post about Emma Carter the butcher see here.

Written and researched by Charlotte Day.

©Marlow Ancestors. You may freely reproduce the grave images for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog.